On a day in Seelampur, a young mother sat beside her sleeping son, her heart filled with gratitude. Saad had been born in 2021, small, but healthy. His weight was normal, and the doctors assured his parents that everything was fine. They brought him home wrapped in hope and happiness, dreaming of the life that lay ahead.
But just fifteen days later, their happiness turned into fear. A call came from the hospital where Saad had been born. The doctors warned that he might have thalassemia. The word itself was terrifying. Without delay, the family rushed him to a government hospital. After several tests, the doctors said that Saad did not have thalassemia. Relief washed over the family, yet in the mother’s heart, an unease remained.
As the months passed, that unease slowly grew. Saad did not grow like other children. For nearly two years, his development remained slow. Then, in 2023, his health began to decline sharply. His weight dropped rapidly. He became weak and tired, less playful, less alert. His skin turned pale, almost white. Each day, his mother watched him with growing fear, knowing instinctively that something was wrong.
When the nurse practitioner from the Asha community clinic noticed Saad’s condition, she did not dismiss the condition. She immediately referred the child to a hospital for further investigation.
Saad’s family visited several hospitals, but each time the family was told the same thing , that Saad was only weak and had no serious illness. The family’s anxiety deepened with every visit. During one appointment at the Well Baby Clinic, Saad’s mother finally spoke openly about her fears.
This was the moment when Asha truly stepped in.Saad was enrolled in the Laddu Nutrition Programme. Along with regular vitamins and medicines, Saad began to receive specially prepared nutritious laddus every day. Saad’s height and weight were recorded carefully at each visit. The nurse practitioner monitored Saad’s progress closely, never missing a detail.
Slowly, a change began. The weak child started to gain weight. The child’s strength returned. The child’s eyes grew brighter. Smiles replaced silence. Before long, Saad was running and playing like other children of the same age.
Today, Saad is four years old and weighs eleven kilograms. Saad is full of energy. Saad goes to school, comes regularly to the Asha Centre, laughs with other children, and happily asks for a laddu before anyone can offer the laddu. Saad never misses a visit to the Well Baby Clinic.
Saad’s journey is not just the story of one child. At the Asha Centre, the health of hundreds of children from the slum community is closely monitored by the Asha health team. Through regular check-ups, nutrition support, early referrals, and constant follow-up, Asha ensures that no child’s silent suffering goes unnoticed. Every small gain in weight, every improvement in health, is carefully recorded and celebrated.
